| Marathon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Marathon is Bungie's newest extraction shooter, in which players fight over resources and loot on a sci-fi-themed militarized planet. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
Everything We Know About Marathon
Marathon Plot
Marathon (2026) takes place 90 years after the original trilogy ended in 1994. A distress call from the UESC Marathon was received, prompting several organizations and factions to contract Runners to fight over precious resources in the now-desolate Tau Ceti IV. With the United Earth Space Council (UESC) asserting its power over the planet, it becomes clear that they’re trying to hide something, and that only makes it all the more enticing for everyone to find out.
Marathon Gameplay
In Marathon, players assume the role of cybernetic mercenaries known as "Runners." They venture into the mysterious environment of Tau Ceti IV to gather valuable artifacts, face other players and AI, and strive to survive and escape with their loot.
Marathon lets players form a squad of three or go solo. As with all extraction shooters, preparation is key: players must continually adjust their loadouts and scavenge items to maximize each run. Runner shells cater to different playstyles, letting players choose what they think is best for them.
Marathon Release Date
Marathon released on March 5, 2026, for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. The game was originally scheduled for release on September 23, 2025, but was delayed due to mixed feedback during the alpha testing period.
Marathon Review (First Impressions)
The Long Game
For the longest time, I never really appreciated the extraction shooter genre. The thought of losing everything you’re going with was something that I feared. After all, as a serial hoarder of items in different RPGs, bringing all of the items that I “potentially” needed was a habit that I never really broke. So for years, I’ve been wondering what really makes it good, or at least, appealing, especially since I’ve heard the frustration from friends who play games in that genre.
Funnily enough, it wasn’t until playing Arena Breakout: Infinite for a year that it all clicked.
The thrill of losing everything was certainly one of the things that drew me in. Not because you were able to rebuild from scratch, but because you could potentially make others lose everything they had. It was a merciless genre, sure, one that really drove the “survivor of the fittest” mentality. But when I started to treat the game where you can eventually get back what you lost similar to a roguelike or a Soulslike even, then I started to have fun.
So when I heard about Bungie creating a brand-new extraction shooter, I was already excited. Announced all the way back in 2023, Marathon was something I wanted to try out, especially since I was already a fan of their older games and franchises and was now getting into other games in the genre. And let me tell you, the game actually did catch me off guard.
Knowing Bungie, I expected satisfying shooting mechanics and even a PvE aspect that’s more engaging than most in the genre, and they delivered on all of those fronts. But what I didn’t expect was an extremely interesting sci-fi setting with actual worldbuilding and storytelling.
Unique and Intriguing Setting
In the year 2472, the UESC Marathon colony ship was launched into the Tau Ceti system on a 300-year voyage with the ultimate goal of creating a new home for humanity. 300 years later, they were nowhere to be heard. A century later, a distress call was received from the same ship, reading: “Somewhere in the heavens, they are waiting.”
The colony on Tau Ceti IV has long been abandoned and desolate, yet questions about its fate remain. What happened to the colony? Where did colonists go? And more importantly, what secrets did the colony hold before its supposed eradication?
Wow, I’ll be completely honest with you, I was immediately impressed with the setting. As a fan of other science fiction media, this was completely right up my alley. Raiding a lost colony on a foreign planet in a synthetic body where I’m only connected digitally? Count me in. And even more to that, what really impressed me was that they weren’t afraid to explore more of the world itself.
Surprising Worldbuilding
Let’s start with some context. Marathon is actually a pretty old video game franchise; its trilogy started in 1994 and was released for Mac OS. Developed by Bungie, the game was originally a boomer shooter with heavy science-fiction themes. I won’t go into any details of the original trilogy since it’s a story worth experiencing for yourself (the games are free on Steam!), but I do have to establish that the recently released Marathon picks up where the series left off.
In this iteration, you play as a Runner, a mercenary for hire who digitized their consciousness to load them onto temporary bodies called Shells. You work for the different factions that are currently paying top-dollar to do their dirty work, whether it be to uncover the colony’s fate, or discover the secrets left behind by its people, or even just to spread anarchy across the planet.
These organizations are the ones that actually provide the game’s worldbuilding and story. After every contract done for that group, you get to talk to one of the faction’s representative agents. This is one of Marathon’s strong points, as the game actually uses environmental worldbuilding, codex entries, and dialogue to actually broaden the world and let the player experience it piece by piece.
But that’s not all. While the story is interesting on its own, one of the big factors that adds to the enjoyment of experiencing the lore is the futuristic sci-fi visuals.
Eye-Catching Visuals
The game’s visuals are already a point of contention, and they’re not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But for me, however, I enjoy the game’s graphics. The whole aesthetic seems like a Y2K biopunk futuristic theme, but with a whole lot of color and flashing imagery. Even the character designs themselves are evident, as the different Shells in the game are very distinct and well-designed.
It carries over to the game’s environments and the visuals of each map, as each of them has a very distinct look compared to the others. For instance, Perimeter features rocky terrain that provides tall cover and can serve as vantage points when using certain Shells. Meanwhile, Dire Marsh features much more open areas, with swampy terrain and forests, making gunfights a bit trickier outside its points of interest.
It’s also worth noting that, thanks to its wild, trippy imagery and zany music, the game has a dark, melancholic atmosphere that permeates throughout, adding to its eerie vibe when navigating menus or even in-game. This adds a sense of paranoia when you’re in-game and makes every run feel a little bit riskier, even if it’s just all mental.
Actually Satisfying Gameplay Loop
Visuals and setting aside, the actual meat of the game also provides tons of satisfaction. For the uninitiated, extraction shooters kind of function like a roguelike, where successfully extracting lets you keep the gear you’ve looted, and dying makes you lose all of it entirely. The game does a good job of making each run feel like you’re actually building towards something, as the aforementioned Contracts that you take usually involve doing something in that particular map.
These contracts give you rewards when completing them, as well as additional dialogue and codex entries to give you more context about the situation or add more questions to the full story.
It’s not just mindlessly going into the zone and killing everything on sight; there are actually things you need to do to progress your quests and gain more reputation for these factions. For instance, the introduction to MIDA’s line of contracts has you defeating a number of UESC enemies as well as breaking some glass panels.
After completing a contract, you are rewarded with XP to level up your reputation for that faction, various equipment related to that faction, and receive upgrades that provide you with more power. A great example of this is ranking up the NuCaloric Agricultural faction, which grants you access to more medical supplies in the game’s marketplace and even allows you to purchase the coveted Self-Revive consumable to come back from being downed.
The feedback loop of objectives and rewards actually feels rewarding, as opposed to other extraction shooters, where they feel tacked on or are just there to give you XP for the most part.
Well-Designed Extraction-Hero-Shooter Mechanics
In accordance with the game’s overall gameplay loop and gunplay, its elements as an extraction-hero-shooter are also remarkable. There are a total of 7 playable Shells, and each of them has unique abilities that affect the battlefield in various ways. Some have more offensive capabilities, such as Destroyer and Vandal, while others have more supportive capabilities, such as Triage and Recon.
For example, Assassin is a Shell that provides invisibility when inside smoke. While his abilities do grant him free smoke bombs for use, the value of taking smoke bombs while using him skyrockets. Not only does it function as a way to deny vision, but also as a way to trigger his passive trait without using any of his skills with cooldowns.
Additionally, the different Shells offer distinct, surprising build varieties, each with exclusive equippable Cores that directly buff their abilities and passive traits. Take Triage’s Ounce of Prevention Core, which adds debuff protection for anyone to whom he attaches a med-drone.
The way it blends with the gameplay is something to behold, as the Shells never feel unfair to fight against, even when they have strong abilities on their own. Even if the Assassin does have cloaking properties via smokes and his Tactical, he doesn’t have access to the Thief’s utility abilities and vice versa. Even the combat-oriented Shells still feel fair to fight against, as the game does reward the better shooter in a gunfight.
Extremely Enjoyable Gunfights
Bungie has always had a reputation for having great gunfeel and gunplay. And it’s no different this time around.
One of the prominent things about the game is its low time-to-kill, where damage across the board is relatively high. The low time-to-kill allows for comebacks on 1v2s and even 1v3s, but also has lower room for error on the lone player. While this can be changed in future balance patches, the way it feels right now is actually great, and I feel that Bungie hit it right on the mark when it comes to balancing each gun.
There are a total of 28 weapons across 8 categories. Additionally, these weapons span 5 ammo types and feature a variety of unique traits and functionalities that actually require mastery.
For example, the V22 Volt Thrower may be a submachine gun that locks onto enemies, but its ease of use is offset by the fact that it never hits headshots. In contrast, an Outland sniper rifle deals serious damage and can potentially take down enemies with a single headshot. However, it’s hard to find ammunition for it and does need you to aim for the head for maximum reward.
As for the overall feel, most of the guns that I’ve been able to use feel great. This can be attributed mostly to the combination of visual and sound effects that each gun has, as even the pistols feel great to fire, just as much as a light machine gun.
Also, the movement feels much better after getting used to the game’s stamina system. The Overheat mechanic limits the number of movement actions to make movement more deliberate. This makes gunfights feel more tactical, where you only really have one chance to make your move, or you’re going to be a sitting duck on the battlefield.
Great Balance of PvE to PvP
One of the things that a PvPvE aspect should have is a good balance between both. In my experience, it felt like Marathon struck a great balance among questing, interacting with the enemy AI, and interacting with other players in the lobby.
Quests Are More Than PvE
As explained earlier, players take Contracts to progress their Faction Ranking and earn rewards and more purchasable items in the in-game marketplace. These contracts can be your primary objective for each run, where you do a couple of quests, then proceed to extract when you and your whole squad are done. Of course, there are also contracts that lean into PvP, which also adds to the game’s gameplay loop since not all quests are all PvE centric.
UESC Doesn’t Mess Around
Speaking of the PvE, it’s also worth mentioning that the enemy AI doesn’t joke around. The UESC guards and commanders can actually prove to be a threat, and you might want to think twice to challenge a Commando. In my case, I foolishly shot first against a Commando with Purple armor, only to run out of bullets and end up losing all of my hard-earned loot in that run.
Additionally, upgrading a Faction’s skill tree also requires you to find salvageable materials and other items of value, meaning that you’re actually doing runs to not only strengthen your gear but also to find other items to upgrade your shops.
Losing Doesn’t Feel as Bad
Lastly, even if the PvP can be punishing, losing just doesn’t feel as bad. Trust me, as a player with chronic “gear fear,” Marathon offers a free kit that’s actually enough to make you a viable threat, especially since you actually have a gun that’s usually pretty good to use as a starting point.
To be more specific, when it comes to gearing, all guns actually start at a similar tier or rarity, meaning it’s actually only the attachments that turn a gun to a higher tier. And there hasn’t been an attachment that actually increases a gun's damage, so it only affects the weapon's performance and ease of use.
The Best Middle Ground You’ll Find Right Now
Marathon is proving to be the best extraction shooter on the market right now, offering a great alternative for those who don’t want the common hyperrealistic visuals of Escape From Tarkov or want a more PvP-centered experience compared to ARC Raiders. It’s an amazing middle ground, one that captures the niche entirely and has been more than satisfactory across most aspects.
Of course, I still have my reservations about the game’s messy UI, lack of an actual tutorial, and frustrating inventory management, but who knows? That might actually get fixed in the near future. Seeing that Bungie is already hard at work buffing sponsored kits and even lowering the very abhorrent cosmetic prices that they released with, it’s already shaping up to be a game that’s worth playing right now.
I’m looking forward to what Bungie’s cooking up with Cryo Archive in the coming weeks, as if it’s anything like Destiny’s Raids mixed with Gambit, where you’re battling each other and messing with each other’s objectives, then you can be sure to find me there soon.
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Marathon Product Information
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| Title | MARATHON |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 5, 2026 |
| Developer | Bungie |
| Publisher | Bungie |
| Supported Platforms | Steam PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S |
| Genre | Action, Shooting |
| Number of Players | 1-3 |
| ESRB Rating | ESRB Teen |
| Official Website | Marathon Official Website |
